Anguirus
Anguirus (アンギラス Angirasu) is a giant Ankylosaurus kaiju who first appeared in the 1955 Toho Godzilla film, Godzilla Raids Again. Anguirus was Godzilla's first-ever opponent, and battled him to the death in Osaka in Godzilla Raids Again. Anguirus was ultimately killed by Godzilla, but a second individual debuted in the film Destroy All Monsters in 1968. This Anguirus became a friend and ally to Godzilla, loyally fighting alongside him to fend off alien monsters such as King Ghidorah and Gigan. Anguirus' final appearance in the Showa series of films came in 1974's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, where he had his jaw broken by the alien machine Mechagodzilla, who was masquerading as Godzilla. Anguirus' next film appearance came 30 years later in Godzilla: Final Wars, where he was a mind-controlled pawn of the Xiliens in their invasion of Earth. While not as popular as the likes of Rodan, Mothra or King Ghidorah, Anguirus has become a popular monster in his own right, and has earned a reputation as being both Godzilla's closest friend and as a tenacious fighter even when severely outmatched. Name Anguirus's Japanese name, Angirasu (アンギラス), comes from the Japanese spelling of the name of the dinosaur genus Ankylosaurus (アンキロサウルス Ankirosaurusu), upon which the monster's design is based. The name was chosen from several names proposed by employees of Toho during production of Godzilla Raids Again. Actor Yoshio Tsuchiya, who played the character Tajima in the film, proposed the name "Gyottos" for the monster. Many of the rejected names were later used for the original monsters featured in the tie-in manga Rampage Godzilla.10 The original English name given to Anguirus by Toho was Angilas, as seen in the company's 1955 international sales booklet.11 When Godzilla Raids Again was released in the United States by Warner Bros. in 1959 as Gigantis, the Fire Monster, advertising materials spelled the monster's name as Angurus, which was also how it was pronounced in the English dub. In the mid-1970's, Toho copyrighted the new revised English name Anguirus, making it the official Anglicization of the monster's name for all subsequent media. However, only the English dub of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla uses anything resembling this spelling. The English dubs for Destroy All Monsters, All Monsters Attack, and Godzilla vs. Gigan all call him "Angilas," while in Godzilla: Final Wars, the pronunciation sounds like "Angweenus." Another alternative name, Anguillas, appears in the German theatrical trailer for Destroy All Monsters12 and the American version of the Godzilla Game Boy game.13 The tag for the Anguirus figure in Bandai's Godzilla Island Monster Series toy line combines the romaji for Anguirus' subtitle, Fierce Dragon (暴竜 Bō Ryū), with his English name, giving the figure the English name Bōryu Anguirus.1 Several American publications from the 1970's, including issue #34 of The Monster Times and the children's book Godzilla by Ian Thorne, offer Anzilla as an alternate spelling. The origin of this name is yet unknown. According to a booklet included with Toho's 2002 three-disc DVD release of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Anguirus' name was originally Angira (晏麒羅) in the original unrealized version of the film, Godzilla X Varan, Baragon and Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, with him being given the name "Anguirus" by the JSDF late in the story. Development Anguirus concept art for Godzilla Raids Again The head of the original Anguirus suit in Godzilla Raids Again was modeled by Teizo Toshimitsu, while the body was modeled by the Yagi brothers Kanju and Yasuei. A 2 shaku (60.6 centimeter) clay model of Anguirus was created, and used as a reference for artwork and posters featuring the monster.14 When this clay model was made, Anguirus was envisioned as having his carapace split into two pieces and turned upward.1514 The suit was initially built to reflect this, but as the carapace peeled apart each time it moved, it was eventually joined together as a single piece. However, the battle scene between Anguirus and Godzilla at the Osaka port was filmed before the carapace was joined together, and so the effect of the carapace being composed of two separate pieces can be seen during this scene and in promotional images and artwork.15 The carapace of the Anguirus suit weighed 3 kan (11.25 kilograms), and as such suit actor Katsumi Tezuka experienced difficulty standing up while wearing it.14 Rather than being cut from a plaster mold, the head of the original Anguirus suit was composed of a hard "skull" with the softer material used for the skin applied around it. To depict Anguirus opening and closing his mouth and performing facial expressions, a Guignol (hand puppet) model was used. The thorns on Anguirus' back were created from paper wrapped together to look like spikes and painted over in rubber. Because of this, the thorns were actually incredibly soft and prone to be damaged during the filming of fight scenes. Modeling engineer Eizo Kaimai noted that performing repairs to the thorns was difficult. The color of the original Anguirus suit was unclear onscreen, as the film it appeared in was shot in black-and-white, however according to modeler Masao Yagi the suit was a light emerald green.16 Numerous Guignols were created to portray Anguirus in addition to the suit. For the character's return in Destroy All Monsters 13 years later, a new suit was constructed.1514 The new Anguirus suit was modeled by Nobuyuki Yasumaru.14 The back of the new suit was composed of leather, while the thorns were made of polished balsa wood painted with polyester resin. The suit was worn in the film by both Hiroshi Sekita and Tadaaki Watanabe. In addition to the suit, a miniature model of Anguirus was constructed for distant shots of the monster prior to the final battle at Aokigahara. The Anguirus suit from Destroy All Monsters was brought back and left mostly unchanged for Godzilla vs. Gigan. This time, the character was portrayed by Koetsu Omiya. For this film, Anguirus would be depicted bleeding graphically and sustaining gruesome injuries, while in most previous films special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya had shied away from showing the monsters bleed. Teruyoshi Nakano, who served as the special effects director for the series following Tsuburaya's death, said he had noticed children asking why Godzilla and the other monsters never bled, and so was influenced to depict monster bloodshed in the film.15 In water scenes, the head of the Anguirus suit is black, with what appears to be red and yellow moss or algae growing on the rest of its body. In addition, some scales seem to be falling off the suit, particularly on its arms and chest. It is possible this is a separate suit employed specifically for water scenes, just as the MusukoGoji suit is employed for Godzilla in such scenes in the film with the SoshingekiGoji used in the rest of the film. The Anguirus suit was employed for a single scene in Godzilla vs. Megalon the following year, depicting Anguirus falling into a fissure during the destruction of Monster Island at the beginning of the film. It is unknown who portrayed the monster during this scene. The Anguirus suit from Destroy All Monsters was employed one final time for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla in 1974. By this point, the suit's horns had been considerably worn down and shortened, while its large protruding fangs had been removed. According to Anguirus' suit actor Kinichi Kusumi, who also played King Caesar in the film, the Anguirus suit was so badly rotted that the inside of the suit was sticky and falling apart, and baby powder had to be liberally applied to the suit's feet for him to even be able to use it.17 Following his appearance in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Anguirus would not appear in another film for another 30 years. However, he was considered for several projects during the Heisei and Millennium series before finally making his return in the final Millennium film, Godzilla: Final Wars. The first proposed appearance of Anguirus following Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla was Godzilla vs. Godzilla, a project considered as the seventh and final entry in the Heisei series. Shinji Nishikawa commissioned concept art of Anguirus for the film. In one version of the story, Anguirus would be possessed by the film's antagonist, Ghost Godzilla, and transform into a hybrid kaiju dubbed "Godzirus." This draft also featured Baragon fusing with Anguirus to become a hybrid creature.18 Nishikawa also designed a new monster for the project described as a "subspecies of Anguirus," the Anguirus Hound. While Godzilla vs. Godzilla was scrapped, Anguirus and the Anguirus Hound were both carried over into the next iteration of Godzilla 7, Godzilla vs. Barubaroi. In this story, the Anguirus Hound would be defeated and assimilated by the creature Barubaroi, which then takes its form, becoming a grotesque creature resembling a cross between Anguirus and an insect.1920 Concept art for both the Heisei Anguirus and the Anguirus Hound possesses a split carapace, much like what Anguirus was originally going to possess in Godzilla Raids Again. Ultimately, Anguirus and the Anguirus Hound were dropped from the project, which finally became Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. Special effects director Koichi Kawakita cited reasons such as Anguirus' four-legged stance compared to Anguirus was next considered for the third entry in the Millennium series by director Shusuke Kaneko. Kaneko wanted his film to revolve around Godzilla battling three ancient "Guardian Monsters," for which he chose Varan, Baragon, and Anguirus. Kaneko prepared a screenplay for the film, titled Godzilla X Varan, Baragon and Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, with assistance from Keiichi Hasegawa and Masahiro Yokotani. Numerous concept models of the four monsters were completed. Anguirus was given a quadrupedal stance, walking on his hind feet rather than his knees. The spines on his carapace were incredibly long and sharp, and pointed backwards. His tail was considerably shorter than previous designs, being held in the air parallel to the ground and ending with a spiky club. Anguirus, or "Angira" as he would be originally known in the story, was to be the "golden freezing monster," whose powers revolve around ice. For the film's final showdown in Yokohama, Anguirus would combine his ice powers with Varan and Baragon's elemental powers to assault Godzilla. Kaneko's proposal was approved by producer Shogo Tomiyama, but Toho's executives requested that the more marketable monsters Mothra and King Ghidorah be worked into the film instead. Kaneko compromised by replacing Varan and Anguirus with Mothra and King Ghidorah, but retaining Baragon in the final story. The film would go on to become Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, the most successful entry in the Millennium series. Anguirus was considered to appear in both entries in the Kiryu Saga. In Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, he would have battled Kiryu. For the follow-up film, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., director Masaaki Tezuka proposed that Anguirus be the carcass that washes ashore after being killed by Godzilla, as Toho had rejected a Liopleurodon performing this role. However, producer Shogo Tomiyama wanted Anguirus to be left alive for a potential sequel,21 and so Tezuka requested Gamera in the role instead. Toho countered with Kamoebas, the only turtle kaiju which they owned.2220 Anguirus concept art for Godzilla: Final Wars Anguirus was finally brought back for Godzilla's 50th anniversary film, Godzilla: Final Wars, in 2004, 30 years after his most recent film appearance. The creature was designed by Shinji Nishikawa, and a brand new suit was created, one which looked quite different from previous designs. Veteran Kamen Rider and Super Sentai suit actor Toshihiro Design Anguirus is a stout, armored, quadrupedal reptilian creature that looks fairly similar to an Ankylosaurus, with aspects of his design also resembling armadillos, hedgehogs, and crocodiles. He has several inwardly curved horns at the top of his head and a single, short horn on the end of his snout. His face is long, puffy and drawn out, like a crocodile, with two large tusks at the start and rows of smaller, jagged, serrated teeth following suit. His carapace is studded with a plethora of long, sharp, prickly spikes. Anguirus' tail is spiky and longer than his body, accounting for the majority of his total body length. His hind limbs are longer than his forelimbs, enabling him to stand upright to his full height, but he primarily walks upon all fours. In Godzilla: Final Wars, Anguirus is jokingly referred to as an "armadillo," most likely due to his ability to curl himself into a ball. The Final Wars Anguirus has some differences in his design. His skin is a a much lighter shade of gray, with yellowish-colored spikes. This Anguirus has a shorter, more mammal-like snout, and his underbelly has an armored, brick-like texture. He now has spikes on his arms and legs, and his tail ends with a spiked club, a trait shared by the real-life Ankylosaurus. Personality Anguirus is depicted as a very tenacious and fierce fighter. Despite constantly going up against enemies tougher than himself, Anguirus rarely backs down and always puts up a vicious fight. Despite his fierce nature, Anguirus has traditionally been shown in various media as being a close friend of Godzilla. While many of Godzilla's allies have had to work with him out of necessity, such as Mothra and Rodan, Anguirus and Godzilla appear to have a genuine friendship. This is most pronounced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, where Anguirus senses that the Fake Godzilla roaming Japan is not the monster he knows and attacks it, with a character even mentioning that it's strange to see Anguirus attack "his friend" Godzilla. Origins In Godzilla Raids Again, it is suggested that Anguirus is an Ankylosaurus that lived during the Cretaceous, 150 to 70 million years ago, around the same time as Godzilla. Like Godzilla, Anguirus managed to survive into the modern day by lying dormant before being awakened and irradiated by nuclear bomb tests in the 1950's.23 This origin is never discussed further nor contradicted in subsequent films. The First Generation Anguirus specifically is said to originate from Siberia, according to official sources.3 History Showa Series Godzilla Raids Again Anguirus in Godzilla Raids Again When pilot Shoichi Tsukioka landed on Iwato Island to rescue his friend and colleague Kojikawa Kobayashi, the two men discovered Anguirus and Godzilla locked in battle on the island. The two monsters eventually tackled each other into the ocean, and disappeared. The pilots reported their story to the authorities in Osaka, who determined that Anguirus was a creature that lived alongside Godzilla in prehistoric times, and like Godzilla had been reawakened by nuclear testing. The JSDF enforced a blackout on the city and used flares to draw Godzilla away, but when a group of prisoners escaped from a prison bus as it was evacuating, they led the police on a high-speed chase that ended with a gasoline truck crashing into a refinery and starting a huge fire. This fire quickly spread and drew both Godzilla and Anguirus into Osaka, where they resumed their battle. The monsters tore apart the city as their battle reached Osaka Castle. Godzilla tackled Anguirus into the building, then bit down on his opponent's neck. Anguirus roared out in agony as he began to bleed profusely, and was thrown into a moat by Godzilla. As Anguirus attempted to stagger back to his feet, Godzilla unleashed his atomic breath, incinerating his foe and leaving him victorious. Destroy All Monsters Anguirus in Destroy All Monsters By the end of the 20th century, Anguirus was one of several kaiju contained on the human-monitored Monsterland in the Ogasawara Islands. When the Kilaaks assaulted the island, they took control of Anguirus and the other monsters and unleashed them across the globe to do their evil bidding. Anguirus was sent to battle the humans' military forces in the Japanese countryside along with Godzilla and Rodan. When the crew of the Moonlight SY-3 managed to destroy the Kilaaks' mind-control device located under the lunar surface, Anguirus and the Earth monsters were all freed from the invaders' command. Godzilla soon led the monsters in an assault against the Kilaaks' base under Mount Fuji, but they were attacked by the Kilaaks' trump card, King Ghidorah. Anguirus took part in direct combat with King Ghidorah alongside Godzilla, Gorosaurus and Minilla. Anguirus bit down on one of King Ghidorah's necks, causing the space monster to take flight. Anguirus clamped his jaws on his enemy's neck and continued hanging on as King Ghidorah flew high into the sky. King Ghidorah finally bit Anguirus' neck with one of his heads, forcing him to let go and plummet to the ground below. King Ghidorah dropped down and stomped Anguirus into the dirt, then attacked Godzilla and the other monsters. However, Anguirus simply shook the dirt off himself and re-entered the fray. The Earth monsters gained the upper hand against King Ghidorah, and successfully killed him. Godzilla soon destroyed the Kilaaks' base and ended their invasion once and for all. Anguirus and the other monsters were then returned to Monsterland to live out their days in peace. All Monsters Attack Stock footage of Anguirus from Destroy All Monsters in All Monsters Attack When young Ichiro Miki dreamed of going to Monster Island, Anguirus was one of the monsters he saw living there. Godzilla vs. Gigan Anguirus in Godzilla vs. Gigan Almost 20 years after the death of the first Anguirus, a second one had taken up residence on Monster Island and become a friend of Godzilla. When Godzilla overheard one of the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens' "action tapes" containing their plans for the conquest of Earth, Godzilla sent Anguirus to Japan to investigate. When Anguirus arrived in Japan, he was immediately attacked by the JSDF, who were unaware of his intentions. Rather than fight back, Anguirus swam back to Monster Island to recruit Godzilla's help. Godzilla joined his companion and the two monsters swam to Tokyo, where Gigan and King Ghidorah were causing destruction under the Nebulans' orders. Godzilla and Anguirus fought back against the space monsters, but found themselves overwhelmed by the enemy. Godzilla was knocked out of commission by the repeated attacks of Gigan and the Nebulans' Godzilla Tower, leaving Anguirus to unsuccessfully attempt to carry on the battle against King Ghidorah. Thankfully, a group of humans were able to destroy Godzilla Tower and sever the Nebulans' control over the space monsters. While Gigan and King Ghidorah were able to maintain their onslaught at first, they quickly became disorganized and confused without their masters commands and began to bicker and argue with each other. Godzilla and Anguirus regrouped and mounted their counterattack against Gigan and King Ghidorah, eventually forcing both monsters to retreat back to outer space. Godzilla and Anguirus then swam back to Monster Island, victorious. Godzilla vs. Megalon Anguirus in Godzilla vs. Megalon In 197X, Anguirus was resting on Monster Island along with Godzilla and Rodan when nuclear testing thousands of miles away in the Aleutian Islands triggered a massive earthquake. As the island began to split in half, Godzilla and Anguirus made an attempt to escape. While Godzilla was successful and made it to the ocean, Anguirus toppled over and fell into the growing fissure. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla Anguirus in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla Sometime after he disappeared into the fissure on Monster Island, Anguirus surfaced in a barren area and began to roar. Sensing something was wrong in Japan, Anguirus burrowed his way to the Japanese mainland in search of Godzilla. When he saw what looked like his friend Godzilla attacking buildings mindlessly and walking around the Japanese countryside with no specific pattern, Anguirus immediately sensed that it was an impostor. Anguirus burrowed out of the ground after Godzilla attacked an apartment building, tripping him over. Anguirus then challenged Godzilla, but Godzilla threw him through a bridge and into a valley. As Anguirus got back up, he leapt out of the valley, knocking off some of Godzilla's scales with his claws as he passed, revealing metal underneath. The now-revealed fake Godzilla then fought back viciously, beating Anguirus and slamming him into the ground. The fake Godzilla broke Anguirus' jaw in a violent and bloody fashion, forcing Anguirus to burrow back underground and retreat. Get Going! Godzilland Anguirus in Get Going! Godzilland Anguirus appeared in animated form in the educational Get Going! Godzilland OVAs. In these OVAS, Anguirus was Godzilla's closest friend, but frequently got into fights and arguments with him. In the hiragana OVA, Anguirus was running through the forests of Godzilland when Mothra dropped an invitation for a picnic onto his head, blinding him and causing him to run into a rock and fall over. Anguirus then raced with Godzilla to get to the picnic, and the two of them argued over who got there first. When Mothra asked why Godzilla and Anguirus arrived so late, they revealed that they couldn't read the invitation very well. Mothra then taught all of the kaiju about the hiragana alphabet. In the addition OVA, Anguirus was seen fighting with Godzilla. After a brief fight, the two kaiju became bitter and refused to speak to each other. Mechagodzilla witnessed the fight and, assuming Godzilla no longer wanted to be Anguirus' friend, decided to make Anguirus his new friend. When Mechagodzilla talked to Anguirus, the latter accused Mechagodzilla of being violent. Mechagodzilla became angry and used his laser vision to destroy the hammock Anguirus was sleeping on, then grabbed him and flew to a volcano on the island. Baragon witnessed the kidnapping and told Godzilla, Gojirin, and Mothra about it, and the four kaiju traveled to the volcano to rescue their friend. Once the kaiju arrived, they were forced by Mechagodzilla to take part in a game show where they solved addition problems. After the kaiju got the problems correct, Anguirus was freed. Mothra then convinced Anguirus and the other kaiju to forgive Mechagodzilla and befriend him. Godzilla Island Anguirus in Godzilla Island This section is a stub. Please help Wikizilla by adding information. Millennium Series Godzilla: Final Wars Anguirus in Godzilla: Final Wars In the year 20XX, Anguirus was under the control of the Xiliens and was sent to China and attacked Shanghai. He was attacked by the Karyu, but he proved too fast for it. He continued to fight against the humans, but he was recalled by the Xiliens on their commander's orders. Once the Controller of Planet X killed the Commander and led the Xiliens himself, Anguirus was brought back to Shanghai, and destroyed the Karyu by slamming into it after curling up. After Godzilla was freed by the Gotengo in Antarctica, Anguirus was deployed to the Japanese countryside with Rodan and King Caesar by the Xilien UFOs α, ß and γ, and waited to encounter Godzilla. When Godzilla arrived, Anguirus almost immediately curled up into a ball and tried to ram Godzilla, but Godzilla used this to his advantage, kicking Anguirus into King Caesar and Rodan. After successfully knocking all three monsters unconscious, Godzilla stacked them into a pile and continued to follow the Gotengo to Tokyo. Reiwa Series GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters Anguirus' skull in GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters Anguirus first appeared in November 2005 and attacked Beijing, causing 8.2 million deaths in tandem with Rodan. Both monsters were eventually killed by the Chinese bioweapon Hedorah, which left behind their skeletal remains and proceeded to lay waste to the surrounding area.24 MonsterVerse Godzilla: King of the Monsters The Anguirus-like skeleton in Godzilla: King of the Monsters A skeleton closely resembling that of Anguirus was present outside of Godzilla's lair in the Hollow Earth. It was destroyed along with the surrounding ancient sunken city when Ishiro Serizawa detonated a nuclear warhead to revitalize Godzilla. Abilities Durability Anguirus' jaw is broken by Fake Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Anguirus' spiky carapace and armored hide grant him impressive resistance to attacks from enemy monsters. He was able to withstand having his neck bitten by King Ghidorah and being dropped from a great height and stomped into the ground, and even quickly got back to his feet and reentered the battle. He also survived grievous injuries in his battles with Gigan and Fake Godzilla, having his face sawed open in the first instance and his jaw broken in the second, and even shrugged off a blast from Godzilla's atomic breath from point-blank range in Godzilla Raids Again. In Godzilla vs. Megalon, Anguirus was swallowed by a tectonic fissure on Monster Island, but survived and was able to simply burrow underground. Anguirus' durability is also highlighted in the comic Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, where after being beaten nearly to death by a Cryog Mechagodzilla, he quickly recovers and immediately assists Godzilla in battle against Mecha-King Ghidorah and an army of Mechagodzillas. Physical Abilities Anguirus tightly bites down on King Ghidorah's neck, drawing blood and holding on as he is carried into the air in Destroy All Monsters. Anguirus possesses rows of extremely sharp teeth that he will use in battle. These, with the added bite force Anguirus can generate, cause pain to any kaiju that finds itself in Anguirus' jaws. The attack was shown to be strong enough to break King Ghidorah's skin and draw blood. He also tends to attack with his claws and by charging opponents, as demonstrated in his battle with Godzilla in Godzilla Raids Again. Moreover, he may use his spiked tail to swing around at opponents. In Kodansha's Godzilla, King of the Monsters manga, his tail is prehensile, and he uses it to grapple with and restrain opponents Spiked Carapace Anguirus launches himself at King Ghidorah, damaging him with his carapace in Godzilla vs. Gigan. Anguirus' greatest asset in combat is his spiked carapace. He often slams his back into opponents in order to injure them with his spikes. In Godzilla vs. Gigan, Anguirus launched himself at King Ghidorah while Godzilla held him still from behind. In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Godzilla lifted Anguirus by his tail and used him like a flail, swinging his spikes into Mecha-King Ghidorah's chest and damaging the cyborg. Anguirus Ball Anguirus curls into his carapace and launches himself at Godzilla in Godzilla: Final Wars. In many Godzilla video games and in the film Godzilla: Final Wars, Anguirus was shown to be able to retreat inside of his carapace and curl into a ball, an ability dubbed the Fierce Dragon Monster Ball Violent Bullet (暴龍怪球烈弾 Bō Ryū Kai Kyū Retsu-dan) or simply Anguirus Ball (アンギラスボール Angirasu Bōru).25 This allows Anguirus to travel quickly by rolling while also damaging any structures or enemies in his path. Rotating Disc In the Kodansha manga series Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Anguirus can retract into his shell and quickly zip around in the air while rotating at extremely high speed, condensing his body into the shape of an ultra-sharp disc that can cut Godzilla. Tail In the Showa series, Anguirus' tail is tipped with a sharp curved spike. While he never seems to use it in battle onscreen, Anguirus does attack with his tail spike in most video games featuring him. In Godzilla: Final Wars, his tail instead ends with a fan-shaped spiked club. In the Kodansha Godzilla, King of the Monsters manga, Anguirus' tail is prehensile, and he is able to constrict it around Godzilla's throat. Burrowing In Godzilla vs. Megalon, Anguirus survived being swallowed by a seismic fissure on Monster Island. In the next film, Anguirus was able to burrow underground, eventually making his way to the Japanese mainland where he emerged and attacked Fake Godzilla. Agility Anguirus is quite agile, charging at enemies with surprising speed and having the ability to make surprise attacks on unsuspecting foes. In his first battle with Godzilla on Iwato Island, Anguirus surprised Godzilla by attacking him from behind. In Godzilla vs. Gigan, Anguirus leapt into the air and over a considerable distance in order to slam his spiky carapace into King Ghidorah. Intelligence Anguirus is extremely intelligent for a giant monster: he is able to communicate with Godzilla, understanding his orders to investigate a disturbance in Japan and then asking him for help after learning of the situation. Both Anguirus and Godzilla are able to understand the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens' "action tapes" which contain their plans and cannot be comprehended by humans. In their battle with Gigan and King Ghidorah, Anguirus and Godzilla formed strategies and attack plans and were able to triumph while Gigan and King Ghidorah bickered and argued once they stopped receiving commands from their alien masters. In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Anguirus immediately recognized that the Godzilla that emerged from Mount Fuji was a fake, while the humans were fooled by the disguise. In Godzilla: Final Wars, Anguirus coordinated with Rodan and King Caesar to try to take down Godzilla. Swimming Anguirus is an extremely adept swimmer and is shown being able to swim at speeds comparable to Godzilla. He was able to swim great distances in a short period of time without any signs of fatigue. Ultrasonic Roar / Sonic Roar In Godzilla Raids Again, Anguirus briefly lets out powerful ultrasonic roars which caused Osaka Castle to crumble during his fight with Godzilla.26 This ranged attack returned in the Atari/Pipeworks Godzilla video games as a sonic roar, capable of damaging monsters, buildings, rocks, and military weaponry. The sonic roar is unable to engage in beam locks with other monsters' energy weapons. Incandescent Light During the planning stages of Godzilla Raids Again, Anguirus was to be able to fire an Incandescent Light (白熱光 Hakunetsu Hikari) from his mouth, just like Godzilla. In the tie-in manga Rampage Godzilla, Anguirus briefly uses this attack. Filmography * Godzilla Raids Again (1955) * Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) maquette * Destroy All Monsters (1968) * All Monsters Attack (1969) footage * Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) * Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) * Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) * Adventure! Godzilland 2 (TV 1993) segments * Get Going! Godzilland (OVA 1994, 1996) OVAs * Godzilla Island (TV 1997-1998) episodes3 * Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) * GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters (2017) remains * Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) skeleton * Godziban (TV 2019-) 5-7 Video Games * Godzilla: Monster of Monsters! (1988) - Nintendo Entertainment System / Famicom scrapped * Gojira-kun (1985) - Microsoft MSX * Godzilla (1990) - Nintendo Game Boy * Godzilla (1993) - Arcade * Battle Baseball (1993) - Nintendo Famicom * Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1993) - Nintendo Game Boy * Godzilla: Battle Legends (1993) - NEC/Hudson Soft TurboDuo / PC Engine Duo * Godzilla: Archipelago Shock (1995) - Sega Saturn * Godzilla: Great Monster Battle (1994) - Nintendo Super Famicom * Godzilla: Giant Monster March (1995) - Sega Game Gear * Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!! (1995) - Sega Pico * Godzilla Movie Studio Tour (1998) - PC and Mac * Godzilla: Trading Battle (1998) - Sony PlayStation * Godzilla Generations (1998) - Sega Dreamcast * Collect Godzilla: Giant Monster Assembly (1998) - Sega Dreamcast VMU * Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee (2002) - Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft Xbox * Godzilla: Save the Earth (2004) - Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox * Godzilla: Unleashed (2007) - Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 2 * Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash (2007) - Nintendo DS * CR Godzilla: Descent of the Destruction God (2010) - Pachinko * Godzilla (2014) - Sony PlayStation 3 and 4 * Godzilla: Kaiju Collection (2015) - Android and iOS * CR True King of the Monsters Godzilla (2018) - Pachinko * Godzilla Defense Force (2019) - Androi and iOS Godzilla: Unleashed Height: 80 meters Weight: 54,000 tons "Anguirus is a loyal Earth Defender. Although he is neither the largest, strongest, or fastest of Earth's vanguard, he possesses a tenacity of spirit that makes him a fearsome opponent for any monster. Anguirus can stun nearby opponents with his fearsome Sonic Roar, or use his powerful jaws to leave an impression. Anguirus' most unique attribute is his ultra-hard spiked carapace, which can parry any physical attack and inflict heavy edged damage in response. Anguirus can tuck his head and limbs beneath his shell and roll forward-this offers him excellent resistance to attack and allows him to plow through terrain and opponents alike. When the earth is threatened, Godzilla will come to its defense-and Anguirus will be right beside him, until the end." Godzilla (PlayStation 4) Anguirus appears exclusively in the PlayStation 4 version of Godzilla as a playable monster. He is modeled after his 1968 appearance from Destroy All Monsters. Anguirus' primary attack involves slamming his spiky carapace against his opponent, though he also possesses the Anguirus Ball attack from the Atari games and Godzilla: Final Wars. Anguirus also has the ability to burrow underground like he did in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Moveset * Square ** One tap: Right Punch ** Two taps: Left Punch ** Three taps: Back Leg Kick * Triangle ** Tap: Tail Attack ** Roar + Tap: Bite * X ** Tap: Back Tackle * Circle ** Tap: Back Leg Sand Toss ** Roar + Tap: Anguirus Ball * R2 ** Tap: Underground Shelter Kaiju Guide : Main article: Godzilla (2014 video game)/Kaiju Guide#Anguirus. Books * Godzilla on Monster Island (1996) * Godzilla at World's End (1998) * Godzilla Likes to Roar! (1998) * Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island (1998) * Godzilla vs. the Robot Monsters (1998) * Godzilla vs. the Space Monster (1998) * Who's Afraid of Godzilla? (1998) * GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse (2017) Who's Afraid of Godzilla? Anguirus was one of the many monsters in the book to be afraid of Godzilla. When Megalon and Gigan started to bully the other residents of Monster Island, Anguirus stood up to them, only to be shoved into a volcano. When Godzilla saved him, Anguirus was quick to announce he was glad to have a big tough friend like Godzilla. GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse The first Anguirus emerged from the frozen soil of Siberia in November of 2005 and traveled southeast to Beijing, where it joined Rodan. Both monsters were exterminated by the Chinese bioweapon Hedorah,27 but a second Anguirus, denoted "Anguirus II," emerged in South Africa the following year. A fourth Anguirus appeared from the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles alongside Baragon II and Varan II in 2030, and all three monsters were killed by Godzilla.28 Comics * Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #2-5, 7, 9 (2011) * Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths #4-5 (2011) * Godzilla: Legends #1 (2011) * Godzilla: Ongoing #2-7, 9-12 (2012-2013) * Godzilla: The Half-Century War #2 (2012-2013) * Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #1, 5, 9, 13-17, 25 (2013-2015) * Godzilla: Cataclysm #1, 3-4 (2014) * Godzilla in Hell #2 (2015) * Godzilla: Oblivion #4-5 (2016) * Godzilla: Rage Across Time #5 (2016) Rampage Godzilla In this 1955 manga, Anguirus has become friends with Zottos, Gyottos, Osoros and Sugon. Godzilla wants to become a pro-wrestler, and spars with Anguirus and his friends to get stronger. Godzilla, King of the Monsters Anguirus was originally a fossil at a dinosaur expo festival. Doctor Oniyama, with the assistance of his 25th Century counterpart, revived the fossil by treating it with radiation. At first, Anguirus appeared as a large Ankylosaurus, who fought Godzilla after he had been forcibly devolved by Oniyama into a Godzillasaurus. Aware that the Ankylosaur was losing the fight, the two Oniyamas shot a huge dart from KIDS that made the Ankylosaur evolve into Anguirus. Anguirus then held the upper hand, attempting to crush Godzilla with his sheer weight, but the devolution wore off, and Godzilla returned to normal. Anguirus and Godzilla fought again. Anguirus, using his new abilities such as being able to fly by rotating his shell and being able to slice Godzilla while spinning, fought as best as he could, but was defeated after Godzilla was given some shells from Yosuke's ASTOL-MB93 and rammed them down his throat. Anguirus tried to flee alongside the two Oniyamas in KIDS, only for the ASTOL-MB93 shells to explode violently, killing Anguirus instantly. KIDS was also destroyed in the massive explosion, leaving the two Oniyamas' fates unknown. Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters Anguirus appears in Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters. He appears in Mexico and travels to the United States, where he engages Godzilla in battle in California. After being defeated by Godzilla, Anguirus heads east, eventually encountering Mechagodzilla, who defeats him as well. Godzilla: Ongoing Anguirus in Godzilla: Ongoing #3 Anguirus appears in Godzilla: Ongoing, where he is initially seen attacking Edinburgh, Scotland. Boxer and his "Kaiju Kill Crew" intercept Anguirus and try to take him down using their "headache beams." Anguirus puts up a vicious fight against Boxer's team but is eventually neutralized and transported to Monster Island, where the U.S. military is collecting giant monsters for unknown purposes. When the space monsters Hedorah, Gigan, SpaceGodzilla, and Monster X attack Earth, Boxer's estranged son steals Kiryu and flies him to Monster Island to break out Anguirus and the other Earth monsters. Anguirus heads to Hong Kong, where he joins up with Rodan to battle Gigan. Anguirus sustains gruesome wounds in the battle, but with Rodan's help he is able to defeat Gigan, leaving the cyborg blinded with a shattered visor. Godzilla: The Half-Century War Anguirus appears in Godzilla: The Half-Century War Issue 2, where he appears in Vietnam and does battle with Godzilla. Anguirus fights fiercely, but retreats from the battle after Godzilla begins to beat him. Godzilla: Legends Anguirus appears in the first issue of Godzilla: Legends. As Sydney is attacked by Destoroyah, a scientist named Dr. Anders uses an experimental device to try and call Godzilla to the city to fight. While the device works, it calls Anguirus instead. Anguirus attacks Destoroyah, even though Destoroyah is much larger and stronger. Even with Anguirus' perseverance, and Dr. Anders' second attempt at using the G-signaler, Destoroyah is too powerful for them to do any lasting damage. He almost kills Anguirus until Col. Matsumiya uses a helicopter to send a huge tank of freon to smash into Destoroyah. Anguirus then rolls into a ball and slams into the partially frozen Destoroyah, defeating it and scoring his first victory over another kaiju. Afterwards, Godzilla arrives and it seems that Anguirus and he will face off, but Godzilla displays respect towards Anguirus, at least knowing there's a bigger threat to go after. Godzilla: Rulers of Earth In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Anguirus is considered a land monster that was frozen in an ice cap until he was reawakened along with all the other Earth monsters. In Rulers of Earth 14, Anguirus is ambushed by a Mechagodzilla that was built by the Cryog leader disguised as a Russian warmonger. The mecha badly wounds Anguirus and nearly snaps his jaw. Eventually, Mechagodzilla blasts Anguirus with several weapons and leaves him for dead. When Lucy Casprell and her team arrive, they discover that Anguirus is still alive and send Kiryu to retrieve him and bring to the Monster Islands. Kiryu is suddenly given new orders to bring Anguirus to a Russian facility, and flies off with the downed saurian. Along the way, Kiryu is shot down by a group of more Mechagodzillas near a robotics facility in Russia. Anguirus manages to escape Kiryu's grip and enters the facility, which the Cryog leader has converted into an arena where Godzilla is doing battle with Mecha-King Ghidorah and more Mechagodzillas. Anguirus joins the battle alongside Godzilla. Godzilla uses Anguirus as a club and slams him into Ghidorah's chest, critically damaging him. Eventually, Godzilla destroys the remaining Mechagodzillas while Mecha-King Ghidorah retreats. Godzilla and Anguirus then leave the arena together, but not before Godzilla completely destroys it with his atomic breath. Eventually, Anguirus was captured by the Trilopods, who absorbed his DNA, and was imprisoned in their hive in Los Angeles. When King Caesar allowed himself to be captured by the Trilopods, he freed the other kaiju inside the hive, and they all joined together to help Godzilla, Zilla, and Jet Jaguar battle against the Trilopod hybrids. After the Trilopods were defeated, the giant Trilopod Magita was unleashed and attacked the monsters. Anguirus attempted to battle Magita by slamming into the giant Trilopod several times, but was knocked aside by the massive creature. After Godzilla destroyed Magita using his hyper spiral ray and nuclear pulse, Anguirus and the other monsters followed him out to sea, then dispersed around the globe to live in peace. Godzilla: Cataclysm Anguirus appears in a flashback in Godzilla: Cataclysm #1, where he is seen battling Manda in Tokyo, while several other monsters battle each other as well. Godzilla in Hell A demonic version of Anguirus appeared in the second issue of the IDW mini-series Godzilla in Hell. He was seen in a frozen wasteland in Hell after Godzilla defeated the demon Rodan and thawed out after sensing Godzilla's presence. He confronted Godzilla and bit him on the arm, but Godzilla flung him off and onto the ice, causing it to shatter and sending Godzilla careening through the ice. Godzilla: Oblivion Anguirus appeared alongside Rodan, Biollante, Zilla, King Caesar and Mothra in issue #4 of Godzilla: Oblivion, as they crossed through an interdimensional portal while Mecha-King Ghidorah was fighting Godzilla. In the next issue, where the monsters were joined by Hedorah, Anguirus made his first move against Mecha-King Ghidorah as he rammed him after he was falling from Mothra's attack. When Mecha-King Ghidorah was down, Anguirus kept slashing at him, leaving the latter vulnerable. Later after Mecha-King Ghidorah was defeated by Godzilla, all of the monsters were left behind as the humans left the Earth as it became covered by tiny robotic cells that served as interdimensional doorways. Sightings * Anguirus roar was used in many video game series such as Street Fighter and Metroid. ** Anguirus' roars were reused for the Draygon boss of the Metroid series. * In Dairanger, Daimugen reuses Anguirus' roar. * The kaiju Archelus from the upcoming video game Earth Defense Force 5 bears some resemblance to Anguirus, and even demonstrates a rolling attack reminiscent of the one used by Anguirus in Godzilla: Final Wars and the Atari video games. Trivia * Anguirus was the second kaiju in the Godzilla series, and Godzilla's first-ever enemy. * In the 1957 Toho film Tokyo is a Fine Place, a baseball player named William Radon joins a team called the Tokyo Anguirus. The team's uniform includes a shoulder patch with the monster's head in silhouette.29 * Anguirus, Rodan, and King Caesar are the only enemy monsters Godzilla spares after defeating in Godzilla: Final Wars. * The 2016 book Godzilla Against Type-3 Kiryu (Mechagodzilla) Completion adds Anguirus to the Kiryu Saga continuity, with Type 66 Maser Cannons preventing him from landing in Yokosuka in 1972. Anguirus was previously considered to appear in both Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., while his name appears on one of the DNA canisters in the post-credits scene for the latter film. The skeleton of "a creature that might or might not be Anguirus," untextured view from the "The Undersea Lair" bonus feature of Godzilla: King of the Monsters * Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty stated that, "the skeleton of a creature that might or might not be Anguirus is briefly visible in one shot, just outside Godzilla’s underwater lair."30 Anguirus is also featured in concept art of the film's final scene, published in The Art of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, as are other established kaiju such as Gigan and Gamera.31 In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Dougherty said, "We had thought about using some additional Toho creatures to give them some cameos but every Toho creature comes with a price tag. It was a choice to either shell out more money simply for the rights for these creatures to show up on screen for a few seconds, or embrace the opportunity and the challenge to create new creatures."32